Cupid Alliance Series 2: To Defy Destiny
by kazeko-chan
Summary: All Cupids know that Destiny is already written and unchangeable, but Cupid 374 Omicron, Asakaze, risks everything to keep the end of the Silver Millennium from repeating. [Set during the first season]
1. Evaluation

**Cupid Alliance Series 2: To Defy Destiny**

**Title: **Cupid Alliance Series 2: To Defy Destiny  
**Author: **kazeko  
**Show:** Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon  
**Series: **Cupid Alliance Series  
**Multipart:** yes  
**Chapters:** ?  
**Rating:** PG  
**Timeline:** "The Last Sacrifice: The End of the Silver Millennium", "CAS 1: The Trouble with Love", "CAS 2: To Defy Destiny", "Every Cloud", "Crystal Shards", "CAS 3: Unwilling Accomplice", "Our Past 1: The Reason We Fight", "CAS 4: Princess of Light", "Our Past 2: The Reason We Still Fight", "Our Past 3: The Reason We Fought", "CAS 5: One Last Shining Star", "In the Darkest Forest", "Destiny or Duty", "Desperately Searching", "Kazeko", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi"  
**Couples:** Usagi/Mamoru  
**Time:** Season 1

* * *

Chapter 1: Evaluation

* * *

Asakaze, Cupid # 374 Omicron, sat on the roof of the building opposite the Crown Arcade and sharpened her arrows. She watched as a short blonde bounced in, followed by her short-haired friend, a girl named Osaka Naru. They settled themselves at the counter and exchanged pleasantries with the blonde boy manning the counter, Furuhata Motoki. He thought of the two as younger sisters, his friends, but the blonde was completely and totally infatuated with him, to the point that she couldn't see that her friend Umino was falling for her. Asakaze aimed a simple Arrow of Desire at the little blonde, letting it fly, watching hearts fill her eyes. Though technically against the Cupid Code, Tsukino Usagi was not yet Assigned, so Asakaze was free to do as she pleased. 

She straightened as a tall man with stormy blue eyes came into view, pointed toward the little arcade. He wore his power like a cloak, glaringly obvious to any Cupids or gods. She opened her great white feathered wings, soaring closer and hovering over his head, examining his energy signature. _"Urakaze-kun, do me a favor." _

_"What do you need, Asa-chan? And where are you, anyway? You have a meeting with 35 Omicron in ten minutes. Status reports and all. If you expect a new assignment, you must be there on time." _

_"I know, worry-wart. Look, I need some information on the Silver Millennium." _

That got the younger Cupid's attention, and Cupid #557 turned his entire attention to his former master's question. Asakaze laughed at the change as the human with black hair entered the arcade. In a flash of pale blue, the younger man appeared by her side, pale brown hair pulled out of his face, ice blue eyes searching the street. "Why the Silver Millennium, Asa-chan? Who did you find?"

"I think . . . I think I found someone very important. Just find me the files, please? I'll come see you after my meeting."

Urakaze shrugged, covering his ears as a fierce wail shook the buildings, threatening to bring them to the ground. "Kami-sama! What a sound! What poor creature is being skinned alive?"

"A girl who has only just begun to understand her destiny. I will see you later, Ura-kun." With that, the older of the pair opened her wings and flew off, golden hair shining in the sun an instant before she vanished. Urakaze moved lower and glanced inside the Arcade, taking in the girl and her friend, the blonde boy, and the dark-haired man. He sensed anger, fury, pain, and . . . something else. A tie that he could not identify. Shrugging, Cupid #557 Omicron headed toward the Great Cupid Library to find the information that his former master had requested.

* * *

35 Omicron was an old Cupid, her gray hair pulled into a tight bun, glasses on her long nose, wrinkled fingers rifling through brittle papers, sharp muddy green eyes glancing up at the purple-eyes cupid. The Omicron Cupids knew that 35 could assume the form of any age that she wanted, but old woman was her choice, possibly to intimidate her young charges. "Well, 374. I see that you have been busy recently, and your progress has been satisfactory. Your apprentice has done well, a tribute to a fine and meticulous teacher, but you have not requested a new assignment in twenty years. I do not understand your reluctance to be an excellent Cupid instead of merely ordinary." 

"Forgive my honesty, but it is not the number of assignments that makes a Cupid worthy. I have brought hundreds of couples together in these past two decades, and I think it unfair of you to point out that none of them were worth points I'm supposed to be accumulating so I can be assigned more land, or another apprentice. I do not really care. Since Urakaze, 557, graduated and was given his own domain twenty years ago, I have been doing the best job I can with what I have been given, not fighting for more. Tokyo is a beautiful city, and its people are happy. With the exception of the recent youma crises, my town is peaceful. People fall in love, they get married, they have the children, and they live full lives. What reason would I need more land if I have achieved all of this? Honestly, 35 Omicron, I don't understand why I was called for Review, anyway. I have spent the last two decades trying to stay out of the spotlight."

To the blonde's surprise, 35 was smiling, her wrinkles not as severe in her happy state. "And that is exactly why you have come to our attention. You finally realized the true purpose of a Cupid, and we need to ask you for a favor."

"Me? The Council needs a favor from me?"

"Yes, Asakaze-san." The blonde started, shocked that 35 had used her real name. "You see, we do not give Assignments to Cupids that need to advance; we give our special cases to Cupids that can handle them. We have a few that only a powerful and wise Cupid can handle, and we want you to consider one of the Alpha Cases."

"Alpha Cases," Asakaze whispered, wings falling open in shock. "But those are the ones that even the hundreds cannot bring together! Those are the destined ones!"

"And we have faith that you will bring them together. Have you seen the list recently?"

"I have. It has grown substantially since Beryl awoke and began to call her generals. Soon the first of the ancient senshi will begin to fight, but we have no idea who that girl will be."

"You will find out the Senshi's identity, and that of her court when they make themselves known. It is important to us that the information is brought to our attention as soon as possible. We cannot protect the ancient princess if we never find her. She cannot die again. It is a great disgrace to the Cupid Alliance and the Gods that gave us life that we let the Moon Kingdom fall in the Silver Millennium."

"I have read the reports, and no one is to blame for that unfortunate event. We could not have predicted it. Even the ginzuishou was silent until the tragic end, and you were able to send the senshi to a new future on Earth."

"Asakaze, listen to me. I know that you younger Cupids see that event as a mere stroke of bad luck, the one valley of tragedy in a long string of Cupid successes, but the truth is that none of us who were there can even admit to our true identities at the time. We all changed our names, our designations, and rebuilt the Cupid Alliance from scratch. We trust the youngsters like you to keep this Alliance from falling into ruin as the last one did. Being immortal, we will always feel the pain of that horrible day. We all lost our charges, and something . . . some part of us went with them, never to return. All that we can hope is that they will have their happy ending here."

"But that will never happen if we do not find and destroy Beryl and her master Metallia." Asakaze nodded as she stood. "I will do my best to find the senshi, but I want a favor."

"Okay. What?"

"I don't care about the Alpha Cases, but I do want to request Tsukino Usagi."

"Usagi? She's in your Realm, isn't she? You're in charge of her, anyway."

"I think she's special, 35 Omicron. I think she has to be Assigned."

"Any one else?"

"Chiba Mamoru. And all of the Senshi if I find them."

35 raised an eyebrow, amused by the impetuosity of the younger Cupid. "I'll make you a deal. We will consider Chiba and Tsukino, but we will not Assign them to anyone else until we vote on you. As for the Senshi . . . we cannot Assign their cases to just one Cupid. They are powerful and complicated. However, I will make you a deal. As soon as you identify one couple and can successfully prove that they truly love each other and not because they fight together against the darkness, you may name your Partner and the Senshi will be given to you."

Asakaze bowed her head. "Deal. Consider Tsukino and Chiba, please. There is more to that girl than meets the eyes, and the boy practically bleeds power."

"We will."

* * *

TBC 


	2. Luna

**Cupid Alliance Series 2: To Defy Destiny**

**Title: **Cupid Alliance Series 2: To Defy Destiny  
**Author: **kazeko  
**Show:** Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon  
**Series: **Cupid Alliance Series  
**Multipart:** yes  
**Chapters:** ?  
**Rating:** PG  
**Timeline:** "The Last Sacrifice: The End of the Silver Millennium", "CAS 1: The Trouble with Love is the Lovers", "CAS 2: To Defy Destiny", "Every Cloud", "Crystal Shards", "CAS 3: Unwilling Accomplice", "Our Past 1: The Reason We Fight", "CAS 4: Princess of Light", "Our Past 2: The Reason We Still Fight", "Our Past 3: The Reason We Fought", "CAS 5: One Last Shining Star", "In the Darkest Forest", "Destiny or Duty", "Desperately Searching", "Kazeko", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi"  
**Couples:** Usagi/Mamoru  
**Time:** Season 1 and 2

* * *

Chapter 2: Luna

* * *

On the largest branch of the tallest tree in the park, a single black cat sat and watched people pass by, cleaning her fur when she got bored, a strange golden crescent moon on her forehead. She hissed, falling into a defensive posture, as a tall blonde woman with purple eyes and white wings appeared in the air beside her, apparently invisible to the humans on the ground. "Be calm, Luna, Advisor to the Queen. You're smarter than that. You know that I mean you no harm." 

Luna snorted and resumed her bath, pretending as if she had not been startled at all. "I do not know how you expected me to react to a Cupid appearing beside me for no good reason out of thin air. Why are you here, and what is your designation?"

"My designation is 374 Omicron, but that would mean nothing to you now. After the Moon Kingdom fell, the Alliance was rebuilt form scratch, the old Cupids retiring or changing their numbers. My name is Asakaze, and I would prefer to be called that."

"Very well. Is there a particular reason you are bothering me, Asakaze-san? I have a bath to finish."

"I know, but I have a favor to ask of you. I . . . I know that you ran into Tsukino Usagi today, and I want to know your impression of her."

"My . . . Usagi? That blonde girl wearing the strange hairstyle? She's the one that removed the band-aid from my crescent moon and allowed me to speak again. I . . . there's an aura about her, Asakaze-san, and I know that you can sense it. She has power, but I do not know what to make of it."

"What does your heart tell you, Luna?"

"That she is one of the Senshi I must find. I can feel Beryl's evil attacking this peaceful world as it did so long ago, and I must stop her. But I do not want to call the Senshi, Asakaze-san. It is such a burden, so much pain and suffering, and they may all die as they did before. It would be better for them if I let them be."

Asakaze reached down and easily lifted the cat, staring into her red eyes. "Luna, I know how you feel, but you cannot let your love of the old senshi, the dead senshi, blind you to the fact that you have a duty to the princess. She has been reborn, as well, and Beryl will not stop until she has found and destroyed our innocent Serenity."

"I would not recognize her, Asakaze-san, even if I did see her. I cannot remember most of the Silver Millennium."

"I know. Perhaps it is better that you do not. But you remember enough, enough to do some good, to call forth the Senshi of old, the princesses who fought Beryl and Metallia and their evil army and died protecting their princess. Please go to Usagi tonight and awaken the senshi power she holds."

"But I do not know . . ."

"Just go to her, Luna, and look into her eyes. When you use your powers to call forth her henshin stick, it will know where her power lies. All you have to do is protect and train Usagi as a Senshi. Soon her partners will come, drawn to her as the princesses were called together in the Silver Millennium so long ago, and they will form a team to defeat the evils of Beryl and Metallia."

"When you say it . . . I believe that it might work, Asakaze-san. I almost believe that soon I will look on the beautiful face of Serenity's daughter and heir."

"You must believe it, Luna," Asakaze whispered, "or it will never happen. Go now; darkness comes and I fear that tonight there will be unrest in my beautiful city."

Luna nodded and leapt, easily landing on four feet on the ground, dashing off toward the Tsukino residence. Asakaze watched her go, nodding. Usagi's power . . . she was one of the Senshi, of course. What else could she be? But she would never be given the girl as a charge if she could not find her soulmate.

"Cute kitty. Yours?"

"You know better than that, Ura-kun," Asakaze scolded as her former apprentice appeared by her side. "She belongs to the princess."

"Princess? Serenity? But we do not know who she is."

"Not yet. But Luna has confirmed a few things for me." Asakaze waved her hands, holding up the papers that appeared. "Thank you for these, by the way. After I left our venerable Master, I read these, searching for any clue to Usagi's identity."

"You think Usagi was part of the Royal Court?"

"I am sure of it, my friend. Luna is, too. She sees the power better than you or I because she was born for it, bred for it. She can feel Beryl gathering her power, preparing to attack, and she will want the princess. Usagi is but the first of the senshi—from the notes we have, I can surmise that there were nine, including Queen Serenity. But it does not name Serenity's Senshi name, since she never became her. The Princess never even saw the ginzuishou, except for when she died and its power, enhanced by the Cupids, brought her here. I do not know where, but the appearance of one Senshi in Tokyo indicates that all of them will come here soon, even the princess. Once Luna begins to awaken the senshi, she will have them search for the shards of the ginzuishou and bring them all together. Only the full crystal can summon the princess, awaken her at last. Once that happens, Beryl is toast."

"Wow. You have this planned out! Where is your little senshi now?"

"Luna has gone to her house. Shall we follow and see how the girl does in her first fight? I imagine she will be terrific."

"Don't kid yourself, Asa-chan. I know that you have watched her for a long time, and I have, too. She's young, and immature, and she'll be scared to death. She'll make it, because that's what the Senshi do—did—all the time. But she will never be the same. I hope you said goodbye to her today, because she will never be the same."

Asakaze nodded, finding tears unexpectedly gathering in her eyes, vowing at that moment never to give the girl another false love. "I know," she whispered, her voice only shaking slightly. "I know. And I did it to her. I asked Luna to go back, I told her not to feel sorry for the girls whose lives she was going to irrevocably alter, just to think about the princess, but . . . she's going to die, Ura-kun. I know it."

"You can't, Asakaze. None of us can see the fate of our charges. Please don't blame yourself, no matter what happens to her. She won't die because of anything you've done, and if she dies fighting, than at least she will have died a senshi. She couldn't have asked for anything else. The Senshi died fighting in the Silver Millennium."

"I know. They deserve better. They deserve a future, a kingdom where they are all recognized and worshipped for their amazing fire and love, a life with the soulmates that they were denied centuries ago, children. I want them to have that."

Urakaze wrapped one wing around Asakaze's shoulder, trying to comfort the older Cupid. "It will happen, all of it, just as you have said. I promise. I and the other Cupids will help it come true. We won't let the past repeat itself, I promise. Now, I think we ought to go see what Usagi does her first night as a Senshi."

"We have to stop somewhere first, Ura-kun. Do you remember that man you saw at the Arcade earlier? Well, I watched him when he ran into Usagi, and there was a definite surge of power. Some part of her, the part that perished with her, defending the princess, recognized the ancient part of him. Chiba Mamoru was part of one of the Royal Courts of the Silver Millennium. We need to go awaken him."

"How? Asa-chan, you know how hard it is to awaken power that old. Luna can do it because she was trained for it and learned the proper techniques to pass on power. We are just young Cupids; we do not know how."

"I have a plan, Ura-kun. Follow me." The Cupid flipped over backwards, falling off the branch as she opened her huge wings and soared into downtown Tokyo, heading for a specific apartment and her chosen hero. Urakaze shrugged and followed his former mentor, wondering what the woman had planned.

* * *

Chiba Mamoru sighed, staring at the ceiling, really not seeing it at all. He mentally reviewed his meeting with that strange blonde Odango Atama, wondering what it was about her that intrigued him so. She was young, immature, a pain, a whiner, a horrible student . . . but that wasn't the worst of it. Mamoru had actually enjoyed running into her, and their chance encounter had been the highlight of his day. He wanted to see her again. 

Groaning, the blue-eyed man rolled over and stared out the window, watching as the sun vanished behind the steely buildings of Tokyo, realizing that he would have to eat something soon so he could go to bed. Resigned to his lonely life, Mamoru reasoned that he would not be lucky enough to see that girl again as he sat up and prepared to head for his kitchen.

He stopped as a glowing apparition appeared in the air before him, dressed in a flowing white gown, face hidden in shadow. The room around him changed, becoming a balcony, the Earth hanging in the sky, an evil darkness cloaking the land, choking him. He was dressed in a suit and cape, sword on his hip, staring up at the woman. She held out her hand, beckoning, supplicating, and her gentle voice embraced him. She never spoke, but he heard her, ancient words filling his mind. 'Help me, Endymion. You must awaken me. I am weak, powerless, defenseless . . . you must save me.'

'How? I don't know where you are, Princess.'

'You do not have to. My Senshi can find me, can awaken me, can bring me back to you. I miss you so much, beloved. Please save me.'

'Your Senshi?'

'You have the power to protect them. The first one wakes now . . . you will always know her danger. Save her especially, Endymion. She is the most important.'

'How can I protect her? I have no power.'

'You do, Endymion. When you need to protect her, you will find it. Go now; she needs you. Please find me, beloved.' The image vanished, Mamoru's living room returning as an excruciating pain ripped through the man, dropping him to his knees. He blacked out, the princess only returning in his dreams, as an alternate personality he never knew he possessed took over, Tuxedo Kamen standing up for the first time. He looked around, wondering where he was, eyes narrowing as the sense of pain and danger invaded his senses once more. Without a second thought, Tuxedo Kamen leapt toward the balcony, jumping out and away, heading for a small downtown jewelry store where a young and very inexperienced heroine was trying her hand at fighting one of Beryl's youma.

Asakaze and Urakaze watched him leave, the younger Cupid amused. "How did you make him transform? What did he see when he looked at you?"

"His heart's desire, his soulmate."

"But you don't know who she is," Urakaze protested. "How can you show him what you do not see?"

Asakaze reached around her neck and unfastened a golden chain, holding up the amber heart-shaped stone for her former apprentice to see. In the depths of the amber were tiny iridescent scales, forming the ancient symbol of paired lovers, soulmates, a symbol that fairly closely resembled the astronomical symbol of Uranus. "This is the Artemis Heart, a stone created by the ancient gods as a birthday present for the first ruler of the Moon. The goddesses gave it the power to identify soulmates and the gods gave it the power to bring the destined lovers together. We Cupids are not strong enough to release its full power, but I have learned from some of the younger gods how to use it to project an image. I told Mamoru to use the power he has inside to protect the first of the Senshi and all that follow her so that she can find the princess. What he saw was his soulmate, begging him to save her by finding the princess. I didn't have to know who she is or who the princess is for him to see and hear what he needed to. Now he will protect Usagi and she might survive this war." Asakaze returned the necklace to her neck and vanished, heading for the battle where Usagi would meet Tuxedo Kamen for the first time.

Urakaze stared into the empty room for a moment. "The Artemis Heart? I thought that was in the Forge. I wonder if she stole it . . ."

* * *

TBC 


	3. Moon

**Cupid Alliance Series 2: To Defy Destiny**

**Title: **Cupid Alliance Series 2: To Defy Destiny  
**Author: **kazeko  
**Show:** Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon  
**Series: **Cupid Alliance Series  
**Multipart:** yes  
**Chapters:** 3  
**Complete:** no  
**Rating:** PG

**Timeline: **"A Child of Darkness and Light", "The Last Sacrifice: The End of the Silver Millennium", "CAS 1: The Trouble with Love is the Lovers", "CAS 2: To Defy Destiny", "Every Cloud", "Crystal Shards", "CAS 3: Unwilling Accomplice", "Our Past 1: The Reason We Fight", "CAS 4: Princess of Light", "Our Past 2: The Reason We Still Fight", "Our Past 3: The Reason We Fought", "CAS 5: One Last Shining Star", "In the Darkest Forest", "Destiny or Duty", "Desperately Searching", "Kazeko", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 1: The Gathering", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 2: Castle in the Sky", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 3: Queen of the Moon", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 4: Separation Anxiety", "Crystals of Love: Betrayal", "Crystals of Love: Forsaken", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 5: Black Moon Family", "Crystals of Love: Destined Couple", "Horoscope"

**Couples:** Usagi/Mamoru  
**List:** Moonlight Sonata  
**Time:** Season 1 and 2

* * *

Chapter 3: Moon

* * *

Asakaze and Urakaze watched, silent, as the newly minted Sailor Moon battled her first youma, a nasty creature that used gems to steal energy and create her own personal zombies. Tuxedo Kamen, also in his first mission, threw a rose to get Morga's attention and give Sailor Moon a chance to attack her. Luna, hiding near the heroine's red boots, whispered instructions, proudly watching as her charge's "Moon Tiara Action!" dusted the youma. Kamen left, some part of him knowing that he needed to be back in his bedroom when he changed back into Chiba Mamoru and lost his memory of the battle, and a dreamy-eyed Sailor Moon watched him leave before Luna directed her back to her own bedroom. The Cupids pulled out, sitting on a branch of the tree outside Usagi's window, knowing that even the young Senshi could not see them, contemplating the battle as the stars brightened above the island. 

"She was really good tonight," Asakaze whispered, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. "I'm really proud of her. I don't remember reading about a Sailor Moon, though."

"Maybe Usagi was a minor royal from the Moon whose full powers never manifested before the end," Urakaze suggested, waving his hand for a bottle of honey liquor, a famed brew from the Vineyards of Olympus, where the minor and major gods spent most of their time with the demigods and retired cupids honored guests. The Heart Fire Liquor was Asakaze's favorite, though Urakaze preferred human stuff. Two glasses appeared with the bottle, and Cupid 557 Omicron poured his former master a glass, forcing it into her reluctant fingers. "Drink, Asa-chan, and stop thinking about it. You did what you had to do. We, all of the minor gods and godlings, made a promise long ago that we would stop darkness from claiming this world, no matter what happened to us. Once, when the Silver Millennium was at its peak, the Senshi made a similar promise. The royals sacrificed their lives and their interests and their loves to protect this system from evil, as their counterparts did across the galaxy after the Sailor Wars and the Chaos Wars because they couldn't let the evil return again. Usagi is one of them, Asa-chan, and she knew once what her duty was."

"But she didn't agree to it! Ura-kun, long ago, she was born to fight, trained to fight, expected to fight, but she was never asked to fight. She never had the choice you and I were given. And now I have forced her back into that role."

"Usagi chose that role."

Both pairs of eyes turned to the window, to find a little black cat staring at them, red eyes kind. Asakaze wiped the tears out of her purple eyes as Luna joined them, having sensed more than seen the pair, only Asakaze's last words completely clear to her. "What do you mean?" Urakaze asked, sipping his drink and watching out of the corner of his eye as his former mentor echoed his actions.

"I mean that Usagi chose to fight with whatever power she had. I gave her the broach and I taught her how to transform, how to fight, and I will teach her how to lead the other Senshi I call, but I cannot make her fight and win against Beryl's youma. When she heard her friend scream for help, she rushed to her aid. I did not tell her that she had to save the innocent, destroy the youma, save the world. She was scared, she is young, she has no experience, she will rely on my instruction for a long time, and she would have been dead but for the intervention of Tuxedo Kamen. However, I cannot teach bravery, I cannot give courage, and even you cannot force love. She loves the people of this planet, and she was born with that power. Her strength and her willingness to fight do not come from me; her change did not come from you. Sailor Moon is not your creation or mine; her existence belongs to Usagi alone. Be proud of her, never blame yourself for awakening her, and never feel ashamed that she is the girl we must call on to save us and the world. She has the power, and she chose to use it. All you and I did was give her the choice she has not had all her life. Do you understand?"

"I do," Asakaze whispered. "Thank you, Luna. How can I repay you?"

"Find her soulmate. He's out there, somewhere, and you must find him, reunite them."

"What about your princess?"

Luna waved one paw, banishing the thought. "I and the Senshi can find her. But Usagi deserves some happiness in this life, even with the battle. Only by fully accessing her power, only once she has experienced true love, can she win. Love saved the souls of the Senshi in the Silver Millennium, the love Queen Serenity bore for every living person under her command, and Usagi's love can save this world. But not alone."

"I will find him," Asakaze promised.

"See that you do. Good night, Asakaze-san." Luna leapt from the tree back into Usagi's bedroom, curling up beside her new master, and the two Cupids watched for a moment before they vanished.

"Good night, Usagi, Sailor Moon," Asakaze whispered.

* * *

"Her soulmate? Isn't that a tall order?" 

Asakaze watched her friend Amelia sip her tea, the Zeta Cupid preferring the hot English brew to all of the honey liquors the Cupid Alliance could brew. "Yeah, perhaps. But I think I owe Usagi that much."

"You know better, Asakaze. Do it for her sake, not because you owe her anything." Amelia brushed her short brown hair out of her face and adjusted her shirt, a casual white t-shirt to match her jean skirt since she was off-duty. Like everything a Cupid wore, her shirt left her upper back bare for her white wings. "A Cupid who worries about debts never repays anything," the older Cupid quoted, her sage voice reminding Asakaze of her days as an apprentice to that same woman.

"I remember that, Amelia. I really want that girl to be happy, though, and I don't know why she is so important to me."

Amelia tilted her head. "Sometimes our Cupid instincts are wiser than we are. Have you decided what to do about this soulmate?"

"I don't know, Amelia. I tried to meditate on Usagi's connection, but her link to her past life is blurred by her newfound power and her glowing love is so strong that I can't see a spot of red at all. He has to be out there and he has to be from the Silver Millennium. If only all of the papers from that time were not lost."

Amelia placed her cup down a little too quickly, her feathers fluffing briefly before settling back down. "They are not lost, Asakaze, but you must never let it leak to the Council that I let this slip. I am being considered for a seat and Council members are forbidden to share such knowledge. Right now though, I am only your old mentor."

"I promise that I would never tell anyone except Urakaze, and his silence is his greatest strength. What do you know?"

"For one, I know that you . . . removed the Artemis Heart from its ancient home in the Forge. I don't care, and I applaud your foresight. It will come in handy. You do not know how to use it properly since that knowledge was conveniently lost with the Silver Millennium. I can tell you where to find the ancient texts on the Artemis Heart, but you have to be careful with its power. It does not like to be controlled. If you have any questions about the texts, ask Psyche. She can ask her husband or Aphrodite without getting you in trouble. Second, I was not always a Zeta Cupid."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I was a lesser member of the Royal Court of the Moon before the Silver Millennium fell. Back then there was a group of fanatics, obsessed with Eros's son Tranquility and devoted to his quest to find his twin sister Serenity. The goddess had been dead for thousands of years by then, but he was determined. I think there was another goddess in his quest, Se the daughter of Hades and Persephone, but no one has seen her in a very long time. My brother joined the group, worshipping the Winged Prince, calling themselves the Flightless Cupids, but everyone else called them the Cult of the Broken Wing. In any case, I fell in with them. True devotion led us to be reborn as Cupids when we died, on Tranquility's whim. It was the easy way in. I died as the next-to-last Queen of the Moon ascended her throne and I became a Cupid. We had no numbers back then, no designations. Tranquility knew all of our names. I watched that Queen rule, then followed the life of her daughter and granddaughter. By the time the last princess was closing in on her ascension to the throne, the other princesses were declaring their independence from the rules of their mothers, taking women lovers."

"Women? The princesses of the other planets were lesbians? The Senshi?"

"By the Prince, yes! It was the greatest scandal among us! I snuck into Tranquility's treasures one day and took the Artemis Heart, looking into it to discover the princesses' destinies. I saw that they were paired soulmates, and I knew that their love would destroy the Silver Millennium. I tried to warn the Prince, but he wouldn't listen. The Silver Millennium could never fall, he told me, not after he spent so much time building it up to a world his sister would be proud to be reborn into. When the Princess of Uranus married the Princess of Neptune, Tranquility finally paid attention to me. When they absorbed their Keystones into the Planet Crystals that Tranquility had forced the queens to shatter so many millennia earlier, he began to worry. Then the massacre struck during the great ball, and we all lost heart. Tranquility went mad."

"Mad? A god?"

"We have not seen him since. We blame ourselves, Asakaze, and for good reason. We should have prevented this. We should have protected the Senshi as our greatest task, we should have nurtured their love instead of fearing it. Do not hold them back from their Soulmates, Asakaze."

"I won't, Amelia, but how will I know them?"

"Well, the princess of Mercury will be very smart and a good swimmer. She will be good with computers, shy outside of her few friends, and very gentle. She will be a healer and a confidant, determined that everyone around her should succeed before her. The princess of Venus will remind you of Aphrodite, I promise you. She will be bright and cheerful, capable of masquerading as the princess, leader of the Inner Senshi, and often will despair that she cannot find true love. She will also be the first Senshi to fight, accompanied by the second cat advisor, the white Artemis. She is currently in England, fighting crime and evil."

"You have found her already?"

"It was not hard. Soon she will heed the call and head for Japan and your Sailor Moon. The Senshi of Mars will be fiery and passionate, spiritual with the power to banish evil spirits even in human form, and accompanied by crows. I don't know why, but the Mars soul attracts birds. She will also have some mystical powers, such as the ability to see the future. I suggest you search among your miko population. The Senshi of Jupiter will be a fighter and a loner, more masculine in appearance than the others but feminine in occupation and hobbies. I believe she was a very good cook. She will protect the weak and innocent, and especially her friends. She has green eyes and a love of roses that will stay with her in this life. The Senshi of Uranus and Neptune have already found each other, thanks to your apprentice, Urakaze. You will not find Pluto until she chooses to reveal herself, and pray that Sailor Saturn is never reborn."

"What about the princess?"

"You find the Senshi and let them find her. They will."

Asakaze smiled. "Thank you, Amelia. And, if it means anything, I don't think the Cupids of the time did anything wrong."

"Thank you."

* * *

To be continued once I get _my_ computer back from the techies 


	4. Mercury

Cupid Alliance Series 2: To Defy Destiny

**Cupid Alliance Series 2: To Defy Destiny**

**Title: **Cupid Alliance Series 2: To Defy Destiny

**Author: **kazeko

**Show:** Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon

**Series: **Cupid Alliance Series

**Multipart:** yes

**Chapters:** ?

**Rating:** PG13

**Timeline:** "The Last Sacrifice: The End of the Silver Millennium", "CAS 1: The Trouble with Love is the Lovers", "CAS 2: To Defy Destiny", "Every Cloud", "Crystal Shards", "CAS 3: Unwilling Accomplice", "Our Past 1: The Reason We Fight", "CAS 4: Princess of Light", "Our Past 2: The Reason We Still Fight", "Our Past 3: The Reason We Fought", "CAS 5: One Last Shining Star", "In the Darkest Forest", "Destiny or Duty", "Desperately Searching", "Kazeko", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi"

**Couples:** Usagi/Mamoru

**Time:** Season 1

Chapter 4: Mercury

"No, she already found Venus and she promised to send her our way. We have to find the other three Inner Senshi."

"What are you looking at, then?"

"Test scores."

Urakaze stared at his mentor, raising one eyebrow. "Huh? I don't get it. How will looking at test scores help you find the senshi?"

"Because Amelia said that Mercury would be a genius, quiet and shy. I'm looking for the smartest person in Juuban."

"Why are you limiting your search to such a small area? Haruka and Michiru are way outside Tokyo. The information I found indicates that the Senshi tend to be far from each other until some great crisis calls them to the princess's side."

"True, but there is a great crisis right now. Beryl is no small fry."

"I think she's the one that destroyed the Silver Millennium."

Asakaze looked up sharply, taking the papers from Urakaze's hand. "It says, 'a spiteful human woman with hair the color of drying blood and eyes the color of madness. We know that the ginzuishou could not kill her, but we pray that she will never be reborn.' What does that prove?"

"We know that we have felt disturbances from Antarctica for some time now, about fifteen years, correct?"

"Yes."

"Fifteen years ago, Usagi was conceived, her soul joining that body from the Silver Millennium. I imagine the other Inner Senshi are about her age. Haruka and Michiru are only a little older, and certainly their souls may have broken free of the magic of the ginzuishou before Usagi's."

"What does any of that mean?"

"If the Senshi were all born fourteen or fifteen years ago, then the evil that destroyed them must have been reborn at the same time. Beryl and her queen have been building up their power in Antarctica for fifteen years, her generals and servants have been gathering strength for fifteen years . . . they have to have come from the crystal."

"But no one knows where the ginzuishou went."

"The author here suggests that the ginzuishou has been known to shatter itself to protect its identity in the past, though only when the Planet Crystals were whole. It could not reform when the planets were slumbering."

"They are not slumbering now, Ura-kun. The gods I spoke to tell me that the planets are becoming anxious as they were when the Silver Millennium fell. Most of them would say no more, but I got Dionysus a little tipsy and he let it slip that the planets can sense great evil and they only call their senshi when evil threatens this solar system. If they are calling, the Planet Crystals will respond and it was those crystals imbedded in the spirits of the dead princesses that let them be reborn. They will gather near the Moon Princess, if we can find her."

"You think that Usagi is here because the princess is here and the other Senshi will be in or gather in Juuban."

"Exactly. Ah, here's one. Mizuno Ami. She tests perfect on every examination, her IQ is through the roof, and she is years ahead of her age. Also, she has an affinity for computer, excels at chess, and could be a professional swimmer if she had a more competitive spirit."

Urakaze glanced at the picture, shrugging his wings. "Doesn't look like much. Are you sure about her?"

"It has to be. She has only just started attending the school Usagi goes to. Soon they will meet, Ami will get into some sort of jam, Sailor Moon will save her, and Luna will awaken her as Sailor Mercury."

"Well, good luck with that. I need to go check on my Senshi. Ta!"

* * *

Asakaze placed the bowl of milk on the cloud, letting Luna drink a little as she sipped her own fruit juice. "I am sure of it, Luna. I was able to find one of the Cupids from the Silver Millennium and she gave me a few pointers on how to recognize the Senshi. I think she will be at your next battle, so I hope you have her henshin stick."

The black cat nodded, solemnly cleaning her tiny paws. "Of course. Mercury will be a great asset, and I know that she will help Usagi become a better Senshi. Up until now she has held her own, fighting very well for an untrained, unprepared girl. She doesn't see it that way, of course, and doesn't think that she could win without Tuxedo Kamen's assistance. However, the enemies will become progressively harder as that Jadeite fellow tests her weaknesses and learns to exploit them. If I don't get her some more Senshi soon, she will lose one of her battles. It's not a good thought. Thank you. What about the other Senshi? And the Princess?"

"I have been assured that your Senshi will find the princess as long as you continue to train them well. Make sure Usagi becomes a good leader. As for the rest, the Senshi will come to you. Trust me."

"Thank you for your help, Asakaze-san."

"Anytime."

* * *

Persephone hummed as she arranged her flowers, making a stunning display for the party that night. For a change, Hades was hosting the gathering, and she was making sure the Elysian Fields were at their brightest and most colorful. Smiling, she stood to return to her castle and find a dress, stopping dead still at the sight that met her eyes.

A tall woman with long, silky dark green hair stood before her, garnet eyes piercing and full of a god-like power, a key-shaped staff topped by a red orb in one hand, the other hanging limp at her side. She wore a simple black dress, beads of garnets and opals adorning her arms and waist, a simple silver crown with a black opal in the center on her head. She stood in the sun but radiated darkness, mystery, and a fierce power Persephone had always attributed to her husband. Around her neck hung a silver chain with a round garnet on the end, the stone pulsing with the life force of a planet Persephone knew all too well. Pluto.

"Se," she whispered, unable to move. Her daughter, returned after so long . . .

"I've come back, Mother," Se whispered, trepidation in a voice that rarely exhibited strong emotion. "I've come home."

"Oh my baby!" The goddess leapt forward and embraced her daughter, most often called Setsuna by mortals, tears in her eyes. "I thought you would never return. We had no idea what happened to you!"

"I've been very busy guarding the Time Gate, waiting for the Senshi to be reborn. My daughter has finally come into her power."

"That princess? The one you had with the last Queen Serenity of the Silver Millennium? But I thought she could only return with the evil that wiped out that great kingdom."

"The evil is back, too, but Usagi will win. I have faith in her. That's why I came back."

"I'm so happy, Se! Are you here to see everybody, or just me and your father?"

"Everyone. Has Tranquility resurfaced yet?"

"No. He swore that he wouldn't until Serenity was reborn. I'm sorry, sweetie. I know how close the three of you were. I'm sure it won't be long now."

"I'm sure."

"Hey, let's surprise the others and present you at the party tonight. The Cupids are even invited this time around."

"Sounds like fun."

"How long will it be until you are called on as Sailor Pluto again?"

"Not until Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune discover their talismans. They do not know that what they seek has been inside them all this time. When they die to release the Sword and the Mirror, I will be there with the Orb to create the Grail and call forth Sailor Moon's second form. But that is a long time from now."

"Good. You have been gone for a long time, my child."

"Time is my specialty."

* * *

Asakaze smiled as she watched Sailor Mercury transform for the first time, helping Sailor Moon defeat yet another youma. She had already discovered the identity of Sailor Mars and was planning to lead her young Senshi to Hino Rei's Hikawa Jinja in a few days so that she could join them. Sailor Jupiter was proving more difficult, but she had learned that Sailor Venus would soon leave England and join her fellows in Japan. Everything was coming together.

"It is a deadly game you play."

Asakaze spun around, eyes wide, shocked to find another godling seated on the cloud beside her. The other woman was taller, her eyes red and sad, her green hair reaching the ground, some part of her dark and ominous. She wore a black dress covered in precious stones and a circlet holding a black opal on her head. She also wore a necklace that pulsed with planet-power, the kind of power that the Senshi had shattered centuries earlier when they separated the Key Stones from their Planet Crystals. "Who are you?"

"I have been gone far too long," the other woman whispered. "My own mother barely knew my face. I suppose my time among the mortals has dulled me, aged me in a way I could never have anticipated. I have lived in the Void for so long that I forgot the colors a setting sun could paint on the sky. But I am being called back to this mortal world by powers that I lost the ability to control ten thousand years ago. Who are you, young Cupid, to so daringly play with a Senshi's heart?"

"I . . . 374 Omicron, Asakaze. Who are you?"

"I am the daughter of one of the First Gods, my powers too great for a mortal to bear, my curse to love my Senshi and to lose them time and again. I lost my best friends and my lover when the Silver Millennium was but an infant, and I wonder if I will ever find them again. That girl, that small blonde, is precious to me, Asakaze, though I cannot tell you why. If you tell Luna the truth now, they will lose their battle with Queen Beryl and this world will fall into darkness again. I cannot allow that. But I will tell you that none of the Senshi can find their Soulmates yet, save one. When you recognize the princess, you must give her back the memories she lost, help her recreate the ginzuishou, and reunite her with her prince if any of us are to survive this war."

"How will I recognize her? Even Luna does not remember."

The dark woman turned, facing Asakaze for the first time, and the Cupid shivered from the pain in those garnet orbs. "If she remembered, she would never have done some of the things that she has done and we would repeat the tragedy of the Silver Millennium. As things stand, one who never fought before will save us now, because she does not know who she is. But Usagi is precious to me, Cupid, and you must protect her at all costs. If she dies, we will all perish."

"How can I protect her if she must look for the Princess? Maybe if you told me who the Princess is I could protect them all a little better."

The dark goddess shook her head. "You have in your hands all of the pieces in this game. You must figure out where to place them." With that, she vanished, leaving one very confused Omicron Cupid behind.

Asakaze looked at her hands. "All of the pieces . . ." she whispered.

* * *

TBC


End file.
